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Admitting something isn’t working as well as you had hoped is challenging for anybody. As an organization, it is particularly difficult. What can you do when an idea that has proven to be so successful in other contexts simply is not being adopted in the communities with whom you work?

In September 2017, as part of a research consultancy for the CLTS Knowledge Hub at the Institute of Development Studies, I travelled across India with the aim to study the adoption of septic tanks in rural India. The findings were fascinating and daunting at the same time. Quality of toilet technologies and faecal sludge management were found to be neglected areas across the states in India.

Niger is an incredible country, the largest (by area) in West Africa, a relative haven of safety sandwiched between more turbulent neighbours (Libya, Mali, northern Nigeria), and of strategic importance for the security of the region. Ancient trade routes snake across the Sahara, where the Tuareg people are able to navigate endless dunes using the stars at night. Natural resources such as uranium and gold, oil and coal can be found. The Niger River runs through the west of the country, where island communities are skilled in building beautifully decorated mud houses.

Monday morning and the UNC Water and Health conference begins…there’s plenty of coffee to overcome the jetlag and joy in reconnecting with friends, colleagues and associates from around the world. Conferences in the WASH sector tend to be an incredible mix of academics, government officials, global decision-makers, donors and this one is no different. Some of us come with detailed knowledge of a specific context – a village, district or region. Others bring global and nationally representative data and show trends over decades.

In the era of SDGs it is clear that there are no more easy wins and there is a need to move beyond the low hanging fruit. Sustainability studies show that slippage and poorly built or dirty latrines are most likely with the poor or most vulnerable in communities. There is clearly a need to make sure these groups are not slipping through the cracks. With many challenges around the issues of caste, gender, institutions, it is not enough to assume that intracommunity support is automatically given to those who need it the most.

Reflections from the CLTS Side Event at the 40th WEDC Conference

Achieving SDG target 6.2 necessitates a reworking of the national landscape of sanitation policies, strategies and programmes. Intra-community support for ending open defecation can no longer be taken fore granted by global and national CLTS actors. Last week at the 40th WEDC Conference the CLTS Knowledge Hub and UNICEF held a side event on ‘Revisiting Subsidies: supporting the poorest through the CLTS process’.

I attended the 40th WEDC conference conducted at Loughborough University in the UK. In my first time participation, I found the conference a great learning and experience sharing opportunity on WASH and sustainability. I learned innovative ideas and challenges from countries that have similar contexts.

I have just completed three days at the WEDC 40th International Conference held at Loughborough University in the UK. As always the conference was packed with a wide range of interesting paper presentations, posters, side-events and associated activities. Meeting colleagues new and old from across the globe is always a wonderful part of a WEDC conference and at the same time to become aware of the range of experience and learning that has been going on over the past few years. This year was no exception.

The theme of this year’s conference was “Local action with international cooperation to improve and sustain water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) services”. Participants came from many different countries, organizations, governments and universities and many papers, poster presentations, espresso slots, side events and capacity building workshops took place. The one day CLTS Sharing and Learning workshop hosted by the CLTS Knowledge Hub was held before the main conference.